This unit uniquely combines citizenship education with creative movement, enabling Year 5 students to embody and express British Values through dance. By translating abstract concepts like democracy, respect, and tolerance into physical expression, students develop both their artistic skills and their understanding of shared societal values. The progression from individual interpretation to collaborative performance creates a powerful vehicle for exploring what it means to be part of a diverse, democratic community.
This unit introduces Year 5 students to the powerful art of Māori Haka, exploring how cultural traditions use movement and voice to express identity and tell stories. Through a progression from learning authentic movements to creating original choreography, students develop both technical dance skills and deeper understanding of cultural respect and creative interpretation. The unit uniquely bridges cultural education with dance composition, encouraging students to honour traditional forms whilst developing their own choreographic voice.
This unit uses World War 2 as a powerful context for developing advanced choreographic skills and emotional expression through dance. Students explore how movement can communicate historical narratives, emotions and personal responses to significant events, making meaningful connections between history and creative expression. The unit balances technical dance development with sensitivity to historical content, fostering empathy and deeper understanding through embodied learning.
This unit takes Year 5 students on a chronological journey through 20th century dance styles, using movement as a lens to understand cultural and social change. By embodying the distinctive characteristics of each decade from the 1920s to 1970s, students develop both their performance skills and their appreciation of how dance reflects the spirit of different eras. The unit uniquely combines historical awareness with creative choreography, culminating in collaborative performances that demonstrate technical proficiency and interpretative understanding.
This unit empowers Year 5 students to explore character-driven storytelling through dance, using the engaging framework of heroes and villains. Students develop expressive skills by embodying contrasting characters, learning how facial expression, body language, and movement quality communicate narrative. The hero-villain theme provides a motivating context for exploring advanced dance concepts including levels, formations, and dynamic contrast whilst building confidence in creative expression.
This unit takes Year 5 students on a sophisticated journey from experimental dance creation using chance methods to structured choreography in the Rock 'n' Roll style. Students develop understanding of dance as a compositional art form, exploring how dancers use dynamics, relationships, space, and timing to create meaning and impact. The unit bridges contemporary dance exploration with traditional partner dance, building both creative confidence and technical understanding.
This unit bridges cultural dance traditions by exploring Bollywood and line dancing, introducing Year 5 students to expressive movement from different world cultures. Through structured progression from individual expression to synchronised group performance, students develop technical precision, cultural appreciation, and collaborative performance skills. The unique blend of styles challenges students to adapt their movement quality whilst building confidence in both creative and formatted dance contexts.
This cross-curricular unit bridges history and physical education, enabling Year 5 students to explore Victorian life through expressive dance composition. By transforming historical understanding into movement, students develop both choreographic skills and deeper empathy for the Victorian era. The unit builds creative confidence whilst introducing sophisticated dance concepts like mirror work, chance choreography, and performance refinement.
This unit uses Ancient Greek history and mythology as a rich stimulus for expressive dance, blending character work, partner choreography, and ceremonial performance. Students explore how movement quality and body language can convey power, emotion, and narrative, whilst developing compositional skills that culminate in a collaborative Olympic opening ceremony performance. The cross-curricular approach deepens historical understanding whilst building confidence in creative expression and performance.
This unit uses the historical context of 1850s circus life to explore complex themes of social inequality, prejudice and transformation through expressive dance. Students develop characterisation skills whilst examining how Victorian society marginalised circus performers, creating meaningful connections between movement vocabulary and historical understanding. The cross-curricular approach deepens both artistic expression and empathy, culminating in collaborative performance that tells powerful stories of outsiders and acceptance.